Market FundamentalsIn post-9/11 America, gender, race, and class identity are changing is completely reversed, causing many in contemporary American society to question themselves and their value in the United States. In the novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, readers can trace the influence of the September 11 tragedy on the marketplace, American business, and life in general in America through its main character, Changez. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get the original essay Change is a hard-working person who is racially discriminated against while participating in the fundamentals of the American corporate market - a tragic mix of self-defeating and racial inequality. for those who work in the field. The dehumanizing nature of post-9/11 America sends shivers through the American business community and ripples into the minority workplace through the way Changez interacts with his colleagues, ordinary citizens, and the marketplace at large. . Underwood Samson is so different and reveals American ideals and culture, he recalls a conversation with Sherman: "It was a testament to the systematic pragmatism – call it professionalism – that underlies your country's success in so many of domains” (Hamid 36). Although Changez understands the old adage that "business is business," he still finds it hard to believe the marked difference between Underwood Samson and when he was a student at Princeton, "at Princeton, learning was infused with an aura of creativity; In Underwood Samson, creativity was not excised - it was still present and valued - but it ceded its primacy to efficiency" (Hamid 37). This example of Changez's thinking reveals several things about Underwood Samson not only promotes a lifeless atmosphere and hires people who don't have a team attitude, but he is open about it. Although they tout this "hard knocks" theory. to work, they do it to devalue Changez's life and gain an advantage over him. This establishes the mantra of corporate America: even if you can help in some way, it's not about that. that you know, but of whom you know Hamid writes, through the Changez trials, this dehumanization of a minority in a post-9/11 context Hamid communicates these ideals through the way he is treated at the place of. work, with several cringe-inducing and generally unhappy interactions. In Peter Morey's article, "'The rules of the game have changed': Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist and post-9/11 fiction," Morey acknowledges Hamid's intention while appreciating and informing his own readers about this that the literature framed in this book. the time period is not only for the sake of the novel's plot, but also for the community as a whole, and how writing about these injustices helps reconfigure major tropes of corporate America. Although Morey understands that the initial reaction of many readers of Hamid is to have an overwhelming sense of nationalism in reacting to the tragedy of September 11, he identifies this book as something that challenges this nationalism by exposing what really happens when we talk about minorities participating in corporate America. Morey also asserts that the novel "defamiliarizes our relationship to literary projects of national identification" (Morey 136), a tactic that allows Hamid's readers tostep out of their comfort zone in order to feel what someone from the outside might feel. Hamid's unreliable narrator also facilitates this literary strategy because he speaks to Hamid's primary audience – people living in America in this post-9/11 world. It is more understandable to view the reinstitution of learning these "fundamentals" through the eyes of someone who does not approve of them, and who at the same time is extremely suspicious of them. Just as Changez is ready and willing to break down the American system of doing things, he's certainly not afraid to talk about it either. Hamid adjusts his readers' lens at the end of the novel to see Changez as someone trustworthy, as opposed to the unreliable and ever-changing narrator we have come to know him as. Changez reflects later in the novel on his distrust of the American way, referring specifically to Americans and America using the word "you" (Hamid 168). This choice of words stands out because it is used to describe a nation that theoretically gave so much to Changez, but in reality he completely chewed it up and spit it out. This reflection from Changez addresses how he actually feels about manifesting the America in the modern society he has had so much trouble with – living it, believing it, and trusting it. He belittles America and calls America out for practicing its beliefs which he considers "myths of its own difference, assumptions about its own superiority" (Hamid 168) by claiming that Americans have thrown a tantrum over let the rest of the world clean up. Essentially, the way America deals with change and indifference makes them less superior, and framing this theory through the lens of the workplace allows readers to understand exactly what Changez sees about America. While his ideas are justified, he sees the corporate world, and almost exclusively, the parts of American culture that exhibit the fiercely competitive nature of how America works. In the environment he lives in, he obviously expects competition, but never to the extent of public humiliation and dehumanization that results in physical confrontation. Changez experienced this when he finally decided he had had enough of Underwood Samson and he decided to quit. As Changez leaves Jim's office for the last time, he writes that almost none of his colleagues even bother to look up from their work and see him walking out. He admits that even Wainwright, the man he saw as looking out for him, doesn't bother to show him real affection or love. In fact, Changez feels violated even in his separation, thinking that "the others, if they took the trouble to look at me, did so with obvious discomfort and, in some cases, with a fear that would not have would not have been inappropriate if I had been found guilty of plotting to kill them rather than abandoning my post in the middle of a mission” (Hamid 160). This was the final straw for Changez, and the irony lies in the actions of his co-workers, because even though they put up a front throughout his employment at Underwood Samson, they pretend to be a team. They talk as if they are working together for a common goal, but in reality, they break down Change consistently throughout the novel, both mentally and physically. While most of America after 9/11 was busy mourning the loss of many lives in the tragic incidents. , many people were preaching the importance of staying close to each other. Then-President George Bush told people to stay close and rememberwhat America was all about: brave, powerful, strong people who cared deeply for and belonged to their country. However, as Underwood Samson's actions demonstrate, unity in post-9/11 America is selective. Those you choose to unite with should essentially be looking out for you, but other than the rank and file, there is no room for charity when it comes to corporate America. Unity, for members of Underwood Samson, should only be used for your own benefit, instead of following the very definition of the word, of being inclusive. These fundamentals which were unfortunately framed by September 11 and American culture after September 9. 11 are designed to be inclusive, but are incredibly discriminatory. The execution, as demonstrated by the actions of the American characters in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, is quite poor while demonstrating the American's fatal flaw: caring too much about others and their impending affairs. What Changez shares with his former colleagues is also highlighted by the way he is forced to leave. “The guards only left me outside the building and it was only then that I allowed myself to rub my eyes with the back of my hand, because they had watered lightly” ( Hamid 160). So far in the novel, explicit emotion in response to this American aggression has been difficult to capture in Changez. Even though we see his physical and mental response, readers have not seen him cry tears of frustration, disappointment, and pure anger. Here, readers are allowed to enter the world of our narrator, Changez, and how even at the end of his time at Underwood Samson, he identifies that his intuitions that he once had, especially early in the novel, have been proven true. true. Michael Kimmel, author of the essay “Masculine Entitlement and the Future of Terrorism,” exposes the white perception of 9/11 and how anyone of a different color or background will automatically be seen as an “outsider” who “steals his place at the table” (Kimmel 617). Although Kimmel does not directly connect his argument to The Reluctant Fundamentalist, his argument explains many possible motives and motivations that some of the other characters might feel towards Changez. While this is inexcusable, Kimmel explains a little about why they might do what they do. This painful fear of losing a job or being ousted by a "stranger" which manifests itself in physical aggression and attempts at mental breakdown on the part of the other characters stems directly from post-9/11 American culture. In Changez's efforts to adapt to American culture, he encounters another difficulty that plunges him into deep confusion. He is confronted by many people at Underwood Samson about growing his beard: "I have been subjected to verbal abuse from complete strangers, and at Underwood Samson I seemed to become day to day a subject of whispers and glances” (Hamid 130). Not only does this leave him perplexed as to why anyone would care about how he wore his hair, but he is also deeply concerned that the other minority at his company, Wainwright, is insulting his culture and his heritage by making a rude and demeaning comment about his beard, saying "They're common where I'm from," I told him. "Jerk chicken is common where I'm from," he replied, "but I'm not going to smear it all over my face. You have to be careful." All this veneer of corporate collegiality n 'has only a limited scope' (Hamid 130-31). This dialogue between Wainwright and Changez tells readers tohow little his colleagues care about him and, more surprisingly, those who are supposed to care about him don't really do. Although Wainwright appears to be protecting him by telling him to shave his beard, he cannot afford to give Changez any advice without inflicting his own personal insult. Part of the reason Wainwright speaks this way is the gap between not knowing exactly what to say to help Changez and the problems in American society. On one level he wants to help Changez, but on another he wants to stay secure in his own skin and fit in with all the other corporate clones they both work with. Besides the verbal abuse Changez receives from everyone, the mental intimidation factor is incredibly high, especially in a high-pressure office like Underwood Samson. In addition to Wainwright showing his true colors, many of the people around Changez are showing themselves to him. shamelessly with their dehumanization. This is done strangely, face to face, through aggressive speech that is not only offensive to Changez, but also to several other cultures that uninformed Americans often confuse, especially after the events of September 11. In his work, Changez is confronted by a man who begins to make noise, making fun of his appearance and obviously calling him a "fucking Arab" (Hamid 117). This exchange is wildly harmful because, when Changez greets the man who is making fun of him, he thinks "that he could be crazy, or drunk; I also thought that he could be an aggressor, and I prepared myself to defend myself in order to strike” (Hamid 117). However, as the man begins to approach Changez, he gradually realizes that the man wants nothing from Changez, he comes to recognize that this man is simply racist. Changez sees clearly that this man does not want to physically harm him, just transmit hateful speech to him for his own pleasure. It is with a confused and angry response that Changez questions this idea of ​​teamwork and American ideals in general. After “a few bruising seconds” (Hamid 118), Changez and his attacker chose not to physically confront each other, which was likely in the attacker's best interest. However, this does not absolve either party of the conflict. Changez leaves shaken, unsure of what to do and questioning the morals of the American citizens he is supposed to respect and strive to be like. Mahmood Mamdani, author of the essay “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim,” strives to reach American readers. about how not to talk about Islam and politics - two very controversial and fragile topics of discussion among ordinary Americans. I found this essay interesting because it connects some of the similar topics that Mohsin Hamid attempts to address in his novel. In this essay, Mamdani discusses George Bush's "public flirtation with the idea of ​​an anti-Muslim crusade" (Mamdani 24), something that seems slightly scandalous to a more modern audience, but is tragically true. In this post-9/11 American war zone, Bush continually preached to Americans about the distinction between "'good Muslims' and 'bad Muslims'" (Mamdani 24). As Bush did this, many people saw this proclamation as an opportunity to implement this into their work rituals and daily routines, something we see great examples of in the characters of The Reluctant Fundamentalist. After September 11, many Americans, similar to those we see directly in the novel, decided to make this assumed religion, that is, anyone suspected of practicing Islam, a problem.